a minute to myself

It has been quite a week and the blog had to go to the bottom of the list. Well, actually vacuuming and dusting is at the bottom of the list, but you get the idea. Nathan is spending more of the day awake and interested, so much of life has gone on hold until nap time. If my postings could be a little more regular, I would be able to avoid such long posts. But I will spare you all the details of the week and hit the main points.

Elsah came to visit and meet Nathan for the first time. We had a great time hanging out, watching movies, eating Dunkie's and shopping. She even gave Margot a much needed haircut. It was wonderful to have a free baby sitter this week. I was able to go to the gym almost every day! I realized (once again) that physical exertion is my Paxil. The day I stop working out I will need medication and probably therapy. It was wonderful to go sweat it out without wondering if Nathan would wake up and end my workout. Danny and I even went on a date! THANK YOU, ELSAH!



The brainwashing is going well. Nathan has become a real fan of Notre Dame football. We finally received his jersey in the mail (it was on back order) so he will be sporting that next weekend. We had a great time this weekend watching Notre Dame beat Michigan State. What a game!



Most importantly, the past week has brought a lot of changes in my sweet little boy. Since early last week, I noticed a change in his disposition. He was frantic when feeding, his sleeping patterns were totally erratic and I never knew if he was going to get fussy or be happy. He was eating every two hours for most of the day (I usually have to wake him up or he'll sleep over four hours). So I was hoping a change was coming. And it did.

Just when I thought I was going to go out of my mind, the most stunning, gummy grin bade me walk on! Saturday morning, during our usual morning debriefing (Nathan likes to tell me all about his dreams after his 6am feeding), he gave me a bright smile...then another...then another! Three beautiful smiles just for me! Since then, I feel like I will do just about anything to elicit another. Margot looks at me sideways as I make all sorts of funny noises and faces and kiss all over his round belly. One of these days I'll catch one on camera, but for now I am enjoying them too much to even think of grabbing a shot.

He is also really focusing on us and on windows, fans and flourescent lights. He'll lock on to new objects and follow them even if you move him away. He discovered the owls on his swing and the parrot on his bouncey seat. I know these are all seemingly small developments, but it is amazing to see Nathan starting to interact with his world. Mommyhood gets more fun every day!

I also wanted to say a word about an item I bought off of craigslist this week. I thought I would give the Moby Wrap a try. And we love it! I am still exploring all the different ways you can use it. You can hold baby in nearly any position. Nathan is a very gassy baby (imagine that!) so he really likes being upright for a while after feedings. And it is even more comfortable than the baby bjorn. The only thing I don't like about it is the length. I cannot imagine trying to put it on outside or in a stadium or somewhere with equally dirty floors because the ends drag on the ground until you have it "set up." Maybe I just have to get the hang of it, though. So there's my plug.